Objective To address the challenges of heavy workload and long iterative cycles in the lightweight design of floating raft vibration isolation system in engineering applications, this study proposes a lightweight design method based on RBF-PSO multi-objective optimization algorithm.

Method  Taking the plate-frame floating raft vibration isolation system as the research object, a finite element model was established using ANSYS APDL. The vibration isolation performance and impact resistance were evaluated through numerical simulation. Experimental tests were conducted to assess the vibration isolation performance of the floating raft. The accuracy of the numerical simulation was validated by comparing it with the experimental results. A full finite difference method was employed to analyze the parameter sensitivity of the floating raft vibration isolation system. Appropriate design variables were selected based on the sensitivity analysis. The lightweight design of the floating raft vibration isolation system was carried out using the RBF-PSO multi-objective optimization algorithm.

Results  The results show that after optimization, the mass of the raft is 63.03 kg. Compared with the original design, the weight of the lightweight raft is reduced by 31.92%. The vibration isolation performance of the floating raft system improves by 2.48 dB. The impact resistance of the equipment is also improved. The discrepancy between the optimized result obtained by the RBF-PSO algorithm and the numerical simulation calculation is less than 1%.

Conclusion  Therefore, the RBF-PSO multi-objective optimization algorithm can be effectively applied to the lightweight design of the floating raft vibration isolation system.